Belichick: "It's time for the New England Patriots to move on"
Bill Belichick addressed the media on Wednesday with an opening statement of 853 words, he only mentioned the name Hernandez once.
The New England Patriots head coach gave one of the more memorable press conferences in recent memory and he absolutely nailed it. As the presser began, he gave approximately a seven-minute statement discussing former Pats tight end Aaron Hernandez.
To see his full opening statement, click here.
My initial thoughts from the entire press conference are how forthcoming, sincere and genuine Belichick's remarks were on the topic. The Patriots head coach is a man of many words, but his delivery and execution was tremendous.
As I mentioned on our Patriots Fourth And Two Podcast just minutes before the press conference began, I believe Belichick needed to address the issue head-on two main reasons.
First and foremost, this is an unprecedented situation and needed to be handled differently than other in the past; it would not simply disappear.
Secondly, the Patriots head coach needed to protect his team moving forward and give them the best opportunity to focus in the field.
Belichick did just that Wednesday afternoon.
Overall, the way Belichick and the Patriots have handled this entire situation should be applauded. The release of Hernandez, team statement, Owner Robert Kraft's comments, jersey exchange and now, Belichick.
From here on out I expect the cliché Belichick comments if any questions are -- and most likely will be -- asked. In any case, the team seems ready to get back to work and as Belichick put it, "It's time for the New England Patriots to move on."
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